Tools

This film has gotten an incredible amount of prerelease buzz, and while it does offer some outstanding performances, an unsteady guiding hand crushes its momentum. It's done in by a clumsy overuse of flashbacks, which come so fast and furious that it's impossible to understand what's happening at some points. It's clear that the actors did the best they could with the material. The term "director jail" exists for a reason, and writer/director Mike Flanagan should be shown to his cell immediately.